Parents give their teenage daughters handcarts as a dowry so that they don’t have to carry pots of water on their heads as they walk for seven kms every day to fetch water for their families. Let this sink in. 

This is the reality of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu. Women and children are paying the ultimate price for the system’s failure to deliver water to 455 villages in this drought-affected district. But if the Collector approves the repair work for Sankarandevan Canal, it would be fit to provide water to all these villages. Sign my petition appealing for safe drinking water for the thousands of families suffering in 455 villages of Ramanathapuram. People-power is the only hope. Your signature can help.

Many women and children faint from thirst, heat exposure and exhaustion. Water bodies have dried out, whatever little trickles in is brackish - salty and deadly to consume. If the image in this petition doesn’t stir our conscience and jolt the government into action, then only God can save us. The ground reality is visible to anyone who visits. As a social worker who went to see how I could help, I witnessed long queues of people including 80 year olds waiting in the hot sun to get three pots of water for the family. The story only gets worse. Even after this struggle, they have to pay for the water. Why has no one helped these communities get their right to water? This apathy stops now when citizens like us get involved and speak up. Let’s use our smartphones, our social media, our connections to get the attention of the people in power.

The chronic lack of water has taken a toll on the local economy, school attendance, farming, and the health of the entire community. To address these issues, some farmers and youth of Aapanaadu villages got together to find a solution. They found that if they could fix a 14-kilometer canal, called the Sankarandevan Canal, it would be fit to provide water for 455 villages in the vicinity. They approached MEGA Foundations, where I work, to fix this canal. We agreed to help by supplying the required resources. 

However, our efforts have hit a roadblock. We can’t proceed without permission from the District Collector. Getting permission takes time. We don’t have time, this matter is urgent. Every minute counts to save lakhs of lives. We need public support from Indians everywhere to persuade the Collector to give us the approval to fix the canal.

Friends, I believe in the power of citizens coming together to fight the good fight. By working together, we can overcome this water crisis and secure a better future. Sign and share this petition widely to bring water to 455 villages of Ramanathapuram. Your signature will mean children can go back to the playground and take water breaks, instead of sacrificing their childhood so that their families can have water.

#WaterForRamnadChildren